Chapter 134 The Unloved Princess 9

The imperial capital has four distinct seasons. Now that it is September, the summer heat has quietly faded away and the weather is neither too hot nor too cold. It is also a good time to travel.

The location for the autumn hunt was set outside the imperial capital. There was a rolling mountain range outside the imperial capital, with lush vegetation and countless birds and beasts hiding in the mountains.

In order to avoid hurting the nobles, guards were sent in advance to clear an area in the mountains, leaving only some smaller beasts with less lethality. This place became a good place for hunting.

Time makes people grow old. Even if the old emperor wanted to use this autumn hunt to show that he was still ambitious, unfortunately his aging body made him feel that he was no longer able to do it, so after shooting the first arrow, he stopped.

Military commanders rarely had the opportunity to demonstrate their prowess in the imperial court, so the annual autumn hunts became a prime opportunity to shine before His Majesty. Hunters were ranked according to the number of prey they captured, and the best were rewarded by His Majesty. If they were even luckier, His Majesty would recognize them and grant them a position, a rare opportunity to soar to prominence.

Besides...

Everyone's gaze moved imperceptibly, landing on the shaded area where the women were sitting.

The figure in the light green soft smoke gauze dress was graceful and elegant, with her long black hair draped over her shoulders. Even though her expression was indifferent, it could not hide the enthusiasm of the women who wanted to come forward and talk to her.

Although His Majesty intends to marry Princess Lingqiao to the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion, as long as the imperial decree of marriage is not issued, it means that the outcome is still undecided and anyone has the opportunity to marry her.

Thinking of this, the unmarried young men who knew some riding and shooting skills all had burning eyes and strong ambitions burning in their chests.

The cold and bright moon is high above. Even though I know there is little hope, when my eyes touch that dazzling white, I still can't help but want to follow it.

Even though the results of their efforts were not satisfactory, they still wanted to leave some impression on Lun Mingyue's heart.

There were many men participating in this hunt, including not only court officials but also a number of sons of powerful officials.

Those who are allowed to participate in the autumn hunting organized by His Majesty are all tall and handsome, with extraordinary bearing.

But there are only two who are the most dazzling among them. One is Wei Ce, the son of the Marquis of Zhenbei and a first-rank general in the court, and the other is Lin Qinghuai, who passed the imperial examination with six top honors and is now the chief minister of the cabinet.

With handsome appearance and outstanding temperament, the two of them instantly attracted the attention of most of the female guests as soon as they appeared.

Wei Ce was dressed in a dark riding uniform, his complexion a bit paler than a few days ago. His gaze remained fixed on the light green figure at the female table. He stared for a long moment before looking away and said with a smile, "Minister Lin is a refined gentleman. I heard he never participated in the autumn hunt in previous years. Why is he so interested this year?"

Lin Qinghuai also looked away and said with a faint smile: "A gentleman should master the six arts, and riding, shooting, and hunting are also elegant pursuits. I have been busy with official duties in recent years, and now that I have some free time, I would like to experience it."

Wei Ce: "So that's the case. This prince thought that Prime Minister Lin was too busy studying to be good at riding and shooting. Before the hunting trip, he was thinking of getting some prey and sending it to the mansion."

There was a hint of regret in his tone: "...But now that I think about it, Prime Minister Lin has many talented people under his command. If he wants to eat delicacies from land and sea, there will naturally be people who offer them to him. It is really me who is worrying too much."

Lin Qinghuai's eyes turned cold. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have many capable men under my command, but how can they compare to the battle-hardened soldiers under Your Highness's command?"

But within a few days, all the secret guards he had placed beside His Highness were removed.

The person who took action was Wei Ce, who was smiling smugly in front of him.

"The Prime Minister is so busy with court affairs that he probably neglected to discipline his subordinates." Wei Ce curled his lips and smiled, "This time, just treat it as the prince disciplining his subordinates. After all, the pearl is precious and cannot be touched by unscrupulous people."

After touching the black horse's shiny mane, he flipped over and mounted the horse neatly with an elegant posture, which made the female relatives who were secretly watching him exclaim in amazement.

Looking at the women again, Wei Ceyang said with a smile: "Arrows in the hunting grounds have no eyes. I hope the Prime Minister will be careful when he is having fun."

After saying this, he spurred his horse and whipped it, and both the horse and himself galloped towards the dense forest like an arrow.

Lin Qinghuai did not set off immediately. He led the horse and walked a few steps leisurely, but when no one was paying attention, he set his eyes on Princess Lingqiao, whom he had not seen for a long time.

The secret guards had been removed a few days ago. Lin Qinghuai, who had become accustomed to getting news about His Highness from the secret guards, always lost his mind these days even when dealing with tedious official duties.

Your Highness is weak, and the palace has always been treacherous and unpredictable. Although the old emperor seems to have some affection for Your Highness now, several of his princes have set their sights on Your Highness. How long can the old emperor protect Your Highness?

But in just a few short days, Prime Minister Lin, who was cold-hearted by nature, experienced the feeling of worrying about his beloved.

The smile on his lips seemed helpless, and Lin Qinghuai quickly looked away.

What you learn is yours. When he was young, his family was poor. In order to make up for his tuition, Lin Qinghuai learned some hunting skills from some hunters.

Later, when selecting scholars for the imperial examination, each examination required the candidates to stay in a small examination room for several days, which was a great test of their physical strength.

In order to succeed in the imperial examination, he also developed the habit of practicing martial arts.

So even though his horsemanship was not as good as some of the children from wealthy families, he was still somewhat confident when it came to autumn hunting.

Autumn hunting is the time when there are the most prey, and winter is approaching. If I can hunt prey with good fur, I can make a shawl for Your Highness.

With a secret warning in mind, Lin Qinghuai jumped on his horse and quickly galloped towards the dense forest.

*

"Your Highness, are you interested? How about I accompany you to the hunting grounds for some fun?"

Tuolin looked at the people who kept entering the forest and became interested.

After the Wanshou Festival, Princess Loulan should have returned to Loulan with the envoys, but for some reason, Princess Loulan insisted on staying in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty for a while longer.

Therefore, as a guest of the Great Zhou, he was naturally brought along on this autumn hunt.

After spending time with this lively princess, Nan Qiao began to have a better impression of her. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "You go. I can't ride a horse, so I won't go."

Everyone knew that Princess Lingqiao had a cold and aloof temperament and didn't like to smile. But the faint smile on her face at this moment was like a cluster of fresh snow melting on a cold snowy mountain, refreshing and charming.

Facing this smile, Tuolin was stunned and didn't come back to his senses for a long time.

When he came to his senses, he saw the complicated look in the eyes of the woman in front of him, and Tuo Lin felt a little frustrated.

Even as a woman, I can't resist it. It's normal for him to be moved.

But I still feel a little unwilling in my heart.

When Lin Qinghuai was sent as an envoy to Loulan, the young man's outstanding elegance completely overturned her image of the pedantic literati of the Zhou Dynasty.

Just from this one encounter, Tuolin fell in love with him.

I thought I could take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Emperor of Zhou and express my love to him, but I didn't expect that there would be a Princess Lingqiao.

Even she was moved by such a princess with the appearance of Gu Yue, let alone others!

Frustration, loss, and unwillingness intertwined in her heart. Tuolin no longer had the heart to race. She said softly, "Then I won't go either."

Nan Qiao was confused, not understanding why she was disappointed. Her delicate white hands picked up the teapot and added tea to the other person's empty cup. She said, "It's better not to go. There are too many people in the hunting grounds today. It's easy to get hurt."

Looking at the full cup of tea, Tuolin was silent for a moment, but still picked up the tea and took a few sips.

Princess Lingqiao only looks cold on the surface, but she is actually an innocent and gentle girl inside.

What should I do?

She also likes this kind of personality that is cold on the outside but gentle on the inside.

Lin Qinghuai must like it more too.

As the afternoon sun grew increasingly warm, the women who did not participate in the horseback riding and hunting quickly dispersed and returned to their respective tents to rest.

Nan Qiao's tent was together with the tents of other royal family members.

The tent was not big and was stuffy, so an ice basin was placed there. The other palace servants were waiting outside the tent, and only Jintang was guarding inside.

Just as he took off his coat, he heard a message from outside the tent.

"Your Highness, His Royal Highness the Third Prince is outside the tent..."

It's them again.

Nan Qiao, who was only wearing a white dress, frowned slightly. Just as she was about to stand up and put on her coat, she saw Jintang coming in after pulling aside the curtain.

"Your Highness, I have just told His Highness the Third Prince that he has dressed and rested."

After staying in the palace for nearly three months and learning a lot from the governess, Jintang now has become more dignified and steady, and has the demeanor of a powerful palace maid in Cuiwei Palace.

Nan Qiao paused for a moment before lying down again, his eyes fixed on the curtains of the bed. He was feeling restless, so he didn't close his eyes for a long time.

The eldest prince, the fourth prince, the sixth prince, and now the third prince.

One after another, I don’t know what they are thinking.

With something on my mind, I naturally couldn't sleep well. I tossed and turned in bed for a long time before I finally fell asleep.

I don’t know how long I slept, but when Nan Qiao opened his eyes, the tent was dark.

The temporary rest tent cannot completely block out the sunlight. When looking out from inside during the day, you can still vaguely see the light.

But now, it is completely invisible.

It must be dark.

Nan Qiao thought a little dazedly.

In the darkness, Nan Qiao blinked her long eyelashes, and she stood up from the couch. She was about to get off the couch to look for Jintang, but was startled by a dark shadow that suddenly appeared in the corner.

It was a tall figure. The figure quickly climbed onto the couch and covered Nan Qiao's mouth from behind as she was about to scream.

Because he had just woken up and his eyes were still a little hazy, Nan Qiao opened them wide and couldn't see who was behind him, and he felt a little frightened.

Lights flickered outside the tent, and the respectful voice of the searching soldier came over: "Miss Jintang, an assassin has appeared in the hunting grounds and has injured several princes. We are tracking down the assassin. Could you please inform His Highness?"

assassin?

Nan Qiao swallowed.

A deep, unfamiliar male voice, mixed with warmth, rushed towards my ear: "I'll let you go, but please don't scream."

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